The Queen Arrives

Lion's Gate Square had already become a hellscape woven from flesh and flame.

The tide of Khorne's daemonic army seemed endless. They trampled over the corpses of their comrades and Imperium soldiers alike, howling as they crashed against the golden embankment forged by the Adeptus Custodes.

Every thrust of an Adamantium spear tore up foul flesh, only for the surging crimson tide to fill the gap at once.

The casualty numbers of the Adeptus Custodes ticked mercilessly across the cold tactical displays. Every fallen golden giant meant another breach in the line that would be nearly impossible to mend.

Guilliman was trapped in a war of attrition.

The Emperor's Sword's golden wrath severed the massive arm of a Skullcrusher that resembled a tank made of flesh. Scalding daemon blood splashed across his blue-and-gold armor, hissing against the plate.

But before he could catch his breath, Kabanha, a greater daemon of Khorne with a twisted form and chains of blasphemous runes coiling around its body, lunged at him with a shriek that tore through the air!

Its burning greataxe came crashing down with devastating momentum! Guilliman raised his sword to block, and the immense force numbed his arms and cracked the Adamantium deck beneath his feet!

Obi-Wan Kenobi moved at high speed along the edge of the battlefield like a blue phantom.

He was not leading the assault. Instead, he had become a shield.

Whenever a Khorne daemon broke through the fire net and tried to pounce on the Sisters of Silence, those vital battlefield "vacuum cleaners," the blue blade always appeared in time to parry, deflect lethal strikes, or even cut the charging daemon cleanly in two!

He protected these "strategic weapons" capable of drastically weakening daemonic power, but he himself was under immense pressure. The Force was being depleted at an alarming rate.

The Imperium of Man's protection for the Sisters of Silence was proving woefully inadequate on such a chaotic battlefield.

The battle hung by a thread.

Half the expeditionary fleet's remaining forces were locked in fierce combat with the Khorne daemons continuing to pour forth, unable to provide effective support.

Before Lion's Gate, mountains of corpses and seas of blood had piled up. The Imperium was beginning to falter.

Just as the atmosphere of despair wrapped itself around everyone's heart like an icy venomous serpent, another change occurred!

A massive shadow appeared in Terra's murky skies without warning.

It did not possess the twisted, grotesque shape of a Chaos warship. Instead, it resembled an enormous throne floating in the Void, formed entirely from pure white energy crystals!

The throne's base was sleek and elegant, with a pair of enormous wings extending from either side.

The entire "warship," if it could still be called a warship, radiated an overwhelming sense of presence, yet also carried an indescribable laziness and... mockery?

"Unknown vessel! No Imperium identification signal!" The alarms of Terra's orbital defense system instantly surged to their highest level!

There was no warning, no inquiry.

Terra's defense systems, already at maximum alert, reacted instantly!

The Lance Arrays of the orbital defense platforms, physical shells from the ground-based macro-cannon batteries, and dense beams from the close-defense laser arrays poured toward the bizarre "throne warship" like an enraged swarm!

The light of Destruction swallowed it in an instant!

Yet an utterly astonishing sight unfolded!

The saturation barrage, powerful enough to tear apart a cruiser, struck the seemingly thin energy shield around the "throne warship," but it caused neither the expected explosions nor flashes of shield overload!

The lethal energy beams and physical shells vanished the moment they touched the shield, like stones thrown into a deep pool. They only raised a few faint purple ripples that spread like water before disappearing without a trace!

It was as though they had been transferred into some unknown, distant dimension!

The entire "throne warship" remained utterly motionless and completely unharmed beneath the furious barrage!

Inside the bridge of Apocalypse One, Liang Bing lounged sideways on a comfortable throne with her legs crossed, her slender fingers twirling a lock of black hair.

Watching Terra's futile firepower bloom across the tactical display like fireworks, she curled her lips and spoke with teasing disdain.

"Tch, what is this? Is this how the Imperium of Man welcomes its guests? You're greeting this Queen with water pistols? You really are... naughty~"

She waved a hand lazily as though swatting away flies. "Fine, fine. Why bother with these uncivilized natives? Let's go find those 'old acquaintances' and catch up first."

The moment she finished speaking, Apocalypse One's enormous hull shuddered slightly. Without any sign of engine exhaust, the entire warship and the space around it underwent an extraordinarily bizarre distortion!

The next second, it vanished from Terra's chaotic skies as though erased by a rubber. All that remained was a faint ripple of energy caused by the abrupt spatial shift, along with defense control room operators whose eyes nearly fell out of their heads.

Luna Base, Sentinel's Eye Observation Hall.

A second earlier, Glory and the others had been concentrating on sensing the increasingly violent Khorne psychic fluctuations coming from Terra, discussing the best time to intervene.

The next second, purple ripples like thin gauze spread through the space beside the round table in the center of the hall without warning.

Then, a tall and graceful figure stepped out of the Void and appeared naturally beside an empty seat at the table.

She wore a perfectly tailored brown trench coat with a stylish design over casual clothes, the outfit outlining her breathtaking curves.

Her long black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, while her exquisite face carried an indolent, curious air of irreverence.

As though she had returned to her own home, she casually reached out and picked up the energy drink in front of Evelyn, a drink with a fresh fruity scent that had only been sipped once.

"Hm? What kind of drink is this? The color looks pretty nice." Liang Bing leaned in to sniff the cup, then tipped her head back and took a large gulp.

"Pfft—!!!"

The next second, she sprayed the liquid straight out. Her exquisitely beautiful features instantly scrunched together as she shook her hand in disgust. "What the hell! What kind of flavor is this? Sour, bitter, and metallic! It tastes even worse than the leaf tea that old hag Kesha makes! Is this what you people drink in this dump of an Imperium?" As she complained, she casually wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.

Evelyn: "!!!" The Eldar seer's starry eyes widened at once, filled with utter shock, confusion, and a trace of offended anger!

She had not even processed what had happened! Who was this woman who had suddenly appeared without the slightest energy fluctuation, dressed strangely and behaving even more strangely?!

How had she appeared here?!

It was not just Evelyn. Even the Hilling Valkyries were stunned.

This uninvited guest's method of arrival had completely surpassed their detection and warning systems!

Yet when they saw Liang Bing's face and received the notification from the mind network that she was the commander of the Hilling Empire's Holy Judgment Legion, all their wariness instantly turned into shock and... reverence?!

"Swish—!"

The five Valkyries rose to their feet almost by reflex!

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as though they were receiving the highest inspection!

They pressed their right hands to their chests and gave an impeccable Hilling Empire military salute filled with respect.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Apocalypse King!" Glory's voice carried a trace of barely concealed excitement and absolute reverence.

"Greetings, Holy Judgment Commander!" Prince of Wales's voice remained cool, but the heartfelt obedience within it was unmistakable.

"Oh, enough already!" Liang Bing was a little impatient with their display. She waved her hand carelessly, as though brushing away annoying insects. "I hate all this empty ceremony! This Queen is on vacation right now! I snuck out! Got it? Vacation! Relaxing! Got it?"

She pulled out a chair and sat down with abandon, crossing her legs. Her gaze swept over Evelyn, who was still petrified, then over the Valkyries standing solemnly before her. A lazy, teasing smile curled across her red lips.

"Who would have thought that such an exciting show would be happening in this backwater corner of nowhere? Looks like sneaking out for a little relaxation wasn't so boring after all." She paused, and an imperceptibly profound gleam flashed deep in her eyes as her tone became slightly more serious. "And besides... I heard this sector has been quite lively lately, especially with... daemons? This Queen happens to have a rather... special interest in daemons."

Her words were light and casual, as though she were discussing an upcoming play, yet everyone present felt an invisible pressure descending from a far higher level.

And when Evelyn noticed the unusually intense interest the other woman revealed at the mention of daemons, alarm rose in her heart. She felt that this woman... was probably no ally.